Torpedo-placer.



PATENTEDJANV, 1908.

P. PBI 'ERQ TORPBDO'PLAOER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1907.

PHILIP PETER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TORPEDO-PLACER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1908.

Application filed August 24:. 1907. $erial No. 389,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP PETER, citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Placers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in torpedo placers, and pertains to a device constructed and adapted to enable a torpedo or torpedoes to be placed on the railroad rail from a moving train.

The primary object of my invention is to so construct the device that spring clip torpedoes can be readily placed upon the railroad rail from the rear end of a moving train in a way which will absolutely prevent any possibility of exploding the torpedo.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device showing it in the act of applying the torpedo to the railroad rail. Fig. 2 is a side elevation (partly in section) of my improved device showing it in position for applying the torpedo to the rail. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the lower end of the central clip holding member.

My present invention relates to that form of torpedo placers or adjusters for holding and placing a spring clip torpedo on the rail while the train is in motion, by holding the spring clip in an open position to receive the tread of the rail, and to release the spring clip and thus permit it to grasp the rail and be held thereto in position to be exploded by a passing train.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is a railroad rail to which the torpedo is to be at tached, and it consists o[ a suitable head portion 2, which is located at opposite sides of a suitable handle 3. This handle 3 is preferably arranged at a slight angle to the head as shown in Fig. 1. The opposite ends of the head 2 are provided with the depending arms 4, and with a central depending arm 5. For the purpose of convenience of explanation both in the description and in the claims, these members 4 and 5 will be termed clip holding members. The ends of the end clip holding members are provided at their inner sides with suitable spring clip holding notches or shoulders 6, and the opposite sides of the end of the central clip holding member 5 are provided with suitable clip holding shoulders or notches 7. The end and central clip holding members constitute two torpedo placers, whereby the device is adapted to hold and to place two torpedoes (one at a time) upon the rail.

Yielding members 8 are placed between the clip holding members, and these members 8 are provided with recesses 9 formed by laterally extending projections 10. The torpedo 11 is placed within this recess, and the projections 10 are preferably provided with notches 12 adapted to receive the spring clip 13 at opposite sides of the torpedo. Preferably this yielding device is supported and actuated by a stem 14 and a spring 15. The stem projects upwardly from the member 8 and is adapted to slide through the head 2 of the device. An expanding spring 15 is arranged between the member 8 and the head, whereby the member is normally held in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outward movement of the stem and the member being limited by a pin 16 which passes through the projecting end oi the stem 14. For the purpose of preventing the member 8 from turning, the stem 14 and the opening in the head through which the stem passes are made angular in cross section. As shown the recess 9 to receive the torpedo is made of a depth which will prevent the torpedo from being mashed in the operation of placing it upon the track, in that the walls 10 of the recess will engage the top of the rail and prevent the explosion of the torpedo.

In operation the torpedoes are placed in the device as shown, and they are released and permitted to grasp the rail by a downward pressure on the placer. The downward pressure on the placer causes the walls of the recess 9 to engage the top of the rail and to retract or move u ward, and this retracting movement oi" t 1e member which holds the torpedo draws the ends of the spring 0h) 13 out of engagement with the holding s oulders or notches and thus releases them and permits them to instantly grasp the rail. It will be observed that in placing thetorpedo the releasing pressure isreceived by the yielding member itself and not by the torpedo, and thus absolutely prevents the accidental explosion of the torpedo.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A. torpedo placer comprising parallel members having clip holding shoulders at their ends, an intermediately arranged torpedo receiving member adapted to yield in a direction away from the said shoulders, the

receiving member constructed to engage the rail and thus protect the torpedo when the former is subjected to the releasing pressure.

2. A torpedo placer comprising parallel spring clip holding members, an intermediately arranged upwardly yielding torpedo receiving member having depending shoulders or walls adapted to engage the top of the rail and to protect the torpedo from the releasing pressure.

3. A torpedo placer comprising a head having parallel spring clip holding members, an intermediately arranged torpedo receiving member provided with an upwardly projecting single stem passing and movable through said head, the single stem and its opening constructed to prevent a turning movement of the receiving member, an eX- panding spring located between the head and the receiving member, and means for limiting the downward movement of the said receiver.

4. A torpedo placer comprising parallel spring clip holding members, an intermediately-arranged upwardly-yielding torpedoreceiving member having depending Walls for the purpose described, said walls having spring clip receiving notches.

5. A torpedo placer comprising parallel spring clip holding members, an intermediately-arranged upwardly-yielding torpedoreceiving member having depending portions for the purpose described, the depending portions constructed to interlock with the spring clip of the torpedo. 

